Wind Turbine Rotor Blade and Airfoil Section

ABSTRACT

The present invention includes a set of airfoils, U rails and V rails taken together to describe a blade for use with a horizontal axis wind turbine. The blade&#39;s design includes a maximum thickness higher than conventional blades employed for the same use thereby providing better load bearing structural characteristics while at the same time maintaining the requisite aerodynamic qualities for similar blades. The blade has a maximum thickness of about 30% and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.3.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/456,363, filed Jun. 16, 2009.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to rotor blades for windturbines wherein the blade of the present invention comprises an airfoilthat, in combination with designed airfoils at other stations, providesbetter load bearing structural characteristics than the generallyacceptable blades. The blade is characterized by a family of airfoilsdistributed at spanwise stations at about 25%, 35%, 55%, 75% and 95% inthe mid-span region and tip region. Specifically, the blade so describedhas a mid-span airfoil exhibiting a thickness of about 30%, a Reynoldsnumber in the range of about 1.1×10⁶ to 1.3×10⁶ and a maximum liftcoefficient of about 1.3.

BACKGROUND

Wind turbines operate at either a constant rotational speed or atvariable rotational speeds that are proportional to the wind velocity.Peak power at high wind speeds is usually controlled through stallregulation or through the use of variable pitch turbine blades. Aconventional horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) employed to generateelectric power typically includes two or more turbine blades eachassociated with a central hub. The hub rotates about an axis and isconnected to a shaft. Conversion of wind power into electrical power isaccomplished in most wind powered systems by connecting the shaft todrive an electric generator.

The point of the turbine blade closest to the hub is called the root ofthe blade, while the point of the turbine blade farthest from the hub iscalled the tip of the blade. The portion therebetween is the mid-span. Aline connecting root to tip is referred to as the span of the blade. Across-section of a turbine blade taken perpendicular to the span isgenerally referred to as an airfoil. Theoretically, therefore, eachturbine blade includes an infinite number of airfoils along that lineand it is the collection of airfoils that fully describes the blade'scontours and shape. Typically, however, a blade's shape is defined inreference to a finite number of the airfoil shapes for convenience.Further, once the airfoils are determined, it is the accepted practicethat at least some portion of the blade is further designed byapplication of a computer program that interpolates between the fixedairfoils to create foils therebetween.

Blade design starts with airfoil shapes. Next, computer programs havebeen employed to complete the design of the blades. However, employingthese programs has created problems with wind turbines. Allowing a CADprogram to loft the blade surface for airfoil sections which have beenarbitrarily placed for optimal aerodynamics may result in waves orripples in the surface loft that can be deleterious to structuralintegrity. This occurs when the CAD Program forces a surface through thepre-defined airfoil section. In addition, the thickness of bladesdesigned using CAD programs are often kept artificially low in order tominimize the computer program's negative effects on the curvaturesbetween fixed airfoil stations. However, keeping the thickness low oftenresults in blades that may not be able to bear the loads required; theseblades may buckle. On the other hand, incorrectly assigned airfoilcoordinates for thicker blades can result in less than desirableaerodynamic properties in some portions of the blade. Therefore, manyblades used in wind turbines often sacrifice structural soundness anddependability in exchange for more aerodynamic attributes. Since theprimary goal of a wind turbine is to convert the kinetic energy of thewind into electrical energy as inexpensively and efficiently aspossible, operational efficiency of the wind turbine is negativelyaffected by a structure that can allow the blade to buckle under certainloads. The blade design of the present invention addresses theseproblems without the corresponding expected loss in aerodynamiccharacter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wind turbine rotor blade and airfoil family is provided. The bladeincludes a root end, an opposite tip end, a leading edge and a trailingedge, each extending from root end to tip end. The airfoil also includesan upper surface and a lower surface. Chord perpendicular to the span(from root to tip) lies in the plane extending through the leading edgeand trailing edge. Thickness is in the direction perpendicular to chordand to span and is typically expressed as the ratio of its measure tothe measure of the chord at that spanwise station and termed“thickness”. Thickness is the distance between the upper surface and thelower surface.

The geometric shape of an airfoil is usually expressed in tabular formin which the x, y coordinates of both the upper and lower surfaces ofthe airfoil at a given cross-section of the blade are measured withrespect to the chord line, which is the imaginary line connecting theleading edge of the airfoil and the trailing edge of the airfoil. Both xand y coordinates are expressed as fractions of the chord length. Aspreviously alluded to, another important parameter of an airfoil is itsthickness. The thickness of an airfoil refers to the maximum distancebetween the airfoil's upper surface and the airfoil's lower surface andis generally provided as a fraction of the airfoil's chord length. Forexample, a five percent thick airfoil has a maximum thickness (i.e., amaximum distance between the airfoil's upper surface and the airfoil'slower surface) that is five percent of the airfoil's chord length.

Similar to the description of the geometric shape of the airfoil, theexact placement of the airfoil relative to the pitch axis is defined byoffsets x_(P) and y_(P) oriented with respect to fine pitch i.e. thepitch as oriented at below rated wind speeds. Where the suction surfaceis nominally downwind at fine pitch so x is downwind and y is orthogonalin the plane of rotation roughly towards the trailing edge.

The chord length of an airfoil or cross-section of a turbine blade willtypically become larger if the length of the blade increases and willtypically become smaller if the length of the blade becomes smaller.

Another important parameter for every airfoil or blade cross-section isits operating Reynolds number. Airfoil performance characteristics areexpressed as a function of the airfoil's Reynolds number. As the lengthof a blade decreases, the blade's Reynolds number tends to decrease. Fora particular airfoil along the blade's span, a small Reynolds numberindicates that viscous forces predominate while a large Reynolds numberindicates that inertial forces predominate.

In the present invention the cross-sections or airfoils are designed towork at relatively low Reynolds numbers (between about 1.15×10⁶ and1.3×10⁶) and the maximum thickness has been preserved at about 30%. Thecross-sections have been maintained aerodynamically sound thereforeproviding a blade that tolerates the high loads demanded at the maximumchord section of the blade while improving the overall performance ofthe blade without sacrificing nearly the performance that is sacrificedif less than adequate cross sections are employed.

Most blade designs are accomplished by first establishing parameters forseveral cross sections of the blade spaced out along the blade betweenits root and tip and then employing CAD to provide the parameters forcross sections therebetween. For turbines operating at Reynolds numberssuch as those mentioned above, the thickness of the aerodynamicallydesigned portion of a blade is typically no more than 25% because whenthe thickness exceeds 25% the cross sections are generally less thanaerodynamically sound. It is widely accepted that aerodynamically soundcross sections are required to maximize the blade's utility and powerperformance. Therefore, a thickness above about 25% is not employed forwind turbine blades of the 10-16 meter variety. However, the resultingrelatively thin blades do not adequately tolerate high loads and areless structurally sound. This disadvantage is typically accepted in theart as better than the alternative of cross sections that are notaerodynamically sound.

On the other hand, if a 30% maximum thickness blade including an airfoilfor operation at Reynolds numbers between about 1.1 and 1.3×10⁶ iscreated instead by careful design and paying careful attention to theeffects of slight changes in chord length and twist on curvature, thenthe strength of the blade can be increased without the same level ofdamage to the aerodynamic properties of the blade. This is the advantageoffered by the present invention. The present invention, therefore,stands counter to the industry standard, having a 30% maximum thicknessyet still exhibiting aerodynamically acceptable cross sections forperformance.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will bereadily appreciated from the following description. The descriptionmakes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided forillustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiment doesnot represent the full scope of the invention. The subject matter whichthe inventor does regard as his invention is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wind turbine embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a blade of the wind turbine;

FIG. 2 a is an end view of an airfoil of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross section showing a family of airfoils belonging to theblade of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an oblique view of the cross sections and v rails of the bladeof the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an end view of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6 and 6 a are tables showing design statistics applying to thefour original airfoils;

FIG. 7 is a table showing certain design statistics of the five airfoilsof the final design;

FIG. 8 is a table showing design statistics and pitch axis offset of thefive airfoils of the final design;

FIG. 9 is a table showing design statistics and pitch axis offset of thefive airfoils of the final design and other airfoils therebetween;

FIG. 10 is a table providing the coordinates of the Spanwise (V) railsof the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a table providing coordinates of the Spanwise (V) rails andtwo additional V rails at the forward part line and the surfaces at thetrailing edge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A horizontal axis wind turbine 10 having a tower 12, a hub 14, ahorizontal axis 16, and a plurality of blades 18, 19 and 20 each havinga root 22, a root region 24, mid-span region 26, a tip 28, and a tip 30region each comprising at least one airfoil 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 of thepresent invention is presented in FIG. 1. As also shown in FIGS. 2 and 2a, each of said plurality of blades 18, 19 and 20 further comprises anupper surface 50, a lower surface 52, the airfoils 32-40, a leading edge54, a trailing edge 56, and a span 58 extending from root 22 to tip 28and is further numerically characterized by a tip speed ratio. Each ofsaid at least one airfoil 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 comprises a chord 60which is the distance between the leading edge 54 and the trailing edge56, a thickness 64 perpendicular to the chordline 60 extending betweenthe upper surface 50 and the lower surface 52 and expressed as apercentage of the chord 60, and a maximum lift coefficient and a designReynolds number pertaining to each of said airfoils. These numericvalues are shown in FIG. 7. Lift of the entire blade can be described byintegrating the lift of all the airfoils in the blade and depends on thevelocity of the air flow on the airfoil, the shape and contour of theairfoil, and the airfoil's angle of attach which is the angle betweenthe chord and the vector resulting from all the combined air forces onthe blade i.e. wind speed vector, airfoil's rotational velocity vector,and blade induced velocity vectors.

The root and transition region 24 extends outwardly from the horizontalaxis 16 to a point approximately 20% of the distance between the axis 16and the tip 28; the tip region 30 from the tip 28 back to the pointapproximately 90% of the distance from axis 16 to tip 28; and themid-span region 26 covers the region between the tip region 30 and theroot region 24.

The blade design of the present invention started with defining fourairfoils 32, 34, 36, 38 (See FIG. 6) and later adding a fifth airfoil 40at five stations along the blade (see FIG. 7), and adding the barrelroot 22. The exact placement of each airfoil at its station relative tothe pitch axis of the blade is defined by the offsets x_(P) and y_(P).(See FIG. 8). The values of x_(P) and y_(P) for the stations are chosento produce minimal curvature along spanwise cross-sections taken atY=−200, −100, 0, 100 and 200 (Refer to FIGS. 9 and 10). Traditionally,lofting includes using a CAD program to design the blade between thestations. Sometimes, the system designs a region of very high concavecurvature which increases the tendency for the blade surface to buckleunder a load. Buckling resistance can be improved by minimizing thiscurvature.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 spanwise cross-sections 70-80 called V railswere taken into account to help define the blade curvature in thespanwise direction. The relative positions of the spanwisecross-sections 70-80 are indicated as positions on a y coordinate, wherey=0 is taken with the blade rotated 10 degrees nose up relative to thefine pitch orientation. The ability of the airfoils 32, 34, 36, 38 and40 encompassed by each blade 18, 19 or 20 in the present invention towithstand buckling tendencies is attributed to the maximum thickness 64embodied in the airfoil 40 encompassed by the blade 18, 19 or 20. Theability of the blade 18, 19, or 20 comprising this airfoil 40 to exhibitacceptable performance parameters can be attributed to the additionalairfoils 32, 34, 36, and 38 designed at selected stations. Theseadditional airfoils function as U rails. These U rails and the V railsrunning from root 22 to tip 28 intersect.

In order to best maintain aerodynamic function of the blade whileobtaining the structural advantage of the maximum thickness of 30%, thecontours of the V rails were modified to reduce their curvature. Thesemodifications took the form of slight alterations of twist and chordlength of airfoils between the U rails all while maintaining theoriginal intersections of the U and V rails. Differences before andafter modifications are presented in FIGS. 6 a and 7.

Slight shifting of one station by x_(P) or y_(P) (relative to finepitch) may reduce the curvature in one spanwise cross-section andincrease it in another. Therefore, a balance was struck by shiftingslightly the placement of the stations. In the blade 18, 19 and 20 ofthe present invention, the spanwise rails placed at Y=−100, 0, and 100are the most critical with regard to curvature. Therefore, the variablesx_(P), y_(P), twist and chord length were taken into account andmanipulated to create smooth sections between the established stations.For each of the original five airfoils and for several airfoilstherebetween, x_(P), y_(P), chord length and twist were optimized toincrease buckling resistance while retaining the intersections of the Vrails with the original five airfoils. The optimized five stations aredescribed by FIGS. 8 and 9. Upon correct manipulation, the resultingblade exhibited enhanced buckling resistance and load tolerance whilemaintaining aerodynamically acceptable cross-sections. While a 30%thickness blade will never perform as well as a 25% thickness at theseReynolds numbers, it will perform far better and exhibit load tolerancesmuch improved over prior art blades at about and below 25% thickness.

In FIG. 9, stations and relevant airfoils located between the optimizedfive stations are also presented. These airfoils fully describe theshape of a wind turbine blade with tip speed ratio of 7.5 which exhibitshigher buckling resistance than comparable prior art blades.

Thus, the present invention has been described in an illustrativemanner. It is to be understood that the terminology that has been usedis intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than oflimitation.

Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possiblein light of the above teachings. For example, the blade length can varywithin the range, the maximum thickness may be larger than 30%, thenumber of airfoils selected as the base set may be higher or lower.Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the presentinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

1. An airfoil comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge; an upper surface and a lower surface; a maximum thickness of about 30%; and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.133.
 2. The airfoil of claim 1 further comprising a Reynold's number of about 1.2×10⁶.
 3. A plurality of airfoils comprising a first airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 30%, a Reynolds number in a first range, a spanwise position of about 25% from root, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.13; a second airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 25%, a Reynold's number in a second range which overlaps the first range but exceeds the upper value of said first range and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.10; a third airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 19%, a Reynold's number in a third range which overlaps with the second range but exceeds the upper value of the second range and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.0 ; a fourth airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 15%, a Reynold's number in a fourth range which overlaps with the third range but exceeds the upper value of the third range and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.0; and a fifth airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 11%, a Reynolds' number in a fifth range which overlaps with the fourth range but exceeds the upper value of the fourth range and a maximum lift coefficient of about 0.9.
 4. A plurality of airfoils comprising a first airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 30%, a spanwise position of about 25% from root, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.13; a second airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 25%, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.10; a third airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 19%, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.0 ; a fourth airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 15%, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.0; and a fifth airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 11%, and a maximum lift coefficient of about 0.9.
 5. A wind turbine having at least one blade associated with a hub and a horizontally rotatable shaft said blade comprising a length between about 10 meters and 16 meters, a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper surface, a lower surface, a root, and at least one airfoil said airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 30% and a lift coefficient of about 1.1.
 6. The wind turbine of claim 5 wherein said at least one airfoil further comprises a twist and a chord of about 1.28 meters.
 7. The wind turbine of claim 5 wherein said turbine is a variable speed turbine with a power maximum of about 120 kW and a tip speed ratio of 7.5.
 8. The wind turbine of claim 6 wherein said blade further comprises a second airfoil positioned a first distance from said root, a third airfoil positioned a second distance from said root said second distance further than said first distance, a fourth airfoil positioned a third distance from said root said third distance further than said second distance, and a fifth airfoil positioned at about 95% of said span from said root, wherein said at least one airfoil comprises a chord of about 1.28 meters and twist of about 12 degrees.
 9. The wind turbine of claim 8 wherein said second airfoil comprises a maximum thickness of about 25%, a chord of about 1.12 meters and a twist of about 7.2 degrees; said third airfoil comprises a maximum thickness of about 19%, a chord of about 0.69 meters and a twist of about 2.8 degrees; and said fourth airfoil comprising a maximum thickness of about 15%, a chord of about 0.58 meters and a twist of about 2.0 degrees. 